


as well as the better

by carolinecrane



Series: down is where we came from [48]
Category: Glee
Genre: M/M, Original Character(s)
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2011-02-14
Updated: 2011-02-14
Packaged: 2017-10-15 16:07:01
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 9,440
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/162523
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/carolinecrane/pseuds/carolinecrane
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>A lot's changing in Finn's life these days, but he figures it's about time he started embracing change.</p>
            </blockquote>





	as well as the better

Finn’s only been driving for twenty minutes when his phone beeps. He glances down and sees Puck’s name on his display, so he flips the phone open to read the text, just in case one of them dropped their wallet in the car or something. But Puck’s not asking him to turn around and come back to the airport. He’s not asking for anything, in fact, and Finn frowns at the message and reads it again before he shuts his phone.

And the thing is, Finn’s been texting for a long time. He went to a public high school, after all, and the teachers there mostly didn’t follow through on threats to confiscate phones as long as you weren’t dumb enough to leave the ringer on. Which he only did that one time, and it went off in Schue’s class, so all he got was the frowny-face that makes Will’s forehead wrinkle and the _I’m disappointed in you, Finn_ look.

He’s been communicating with his mom via text for years now, and that’s how he and Quinn talk most of the time, so it’s not like he doesn’t know all the abbreviations and stuff. Which is why it bugs him that he has no clue what Puck means by ‘std’.

He wonders if maybe Puck meant to send the text to someone else and just hit Finn’s number by mistake, but by the time he gets back to Lima and texts Puck to ask, they’ll probably be in the air with their phones turned off and Finn won’t hear back from him until who knows when. He’s contemplating pulling onto the shoulder of the highway and sending the text before their flight takes off, just so he won’t spend the rest of the day driving himself crazy over it, when something clicks in his brain and he remembers seeing the word ‘condom’ somewhere in Puck’s message.

Finn pulls his phone out and reads the message again, his whole face heating up when it dawns on him that Puck means he should get an _STD screen_. As in the kind they administer at the clinic on campus, the same place girls can go to get the Morning After pill and they hand out free condoms like candy.

Finn’s knuckles tighten around the steering wheel and he shoves the phone back in his coat pocket, keeping his eyes on the road because seriously, he’s not crashing the loaner and having to explain to Burt that he totaled it because he was distracted by the thought of fucking Will bareback.

He’s never had unprotected sex, not with anyone, partly because of diseases, sure, but also because up to now he’s been having sex with girls, and even if they’re taking birth control there’s still a chance. And okay, maybe he’s a little paranoid about the thought of another unplanned pregnancy, yeah, but he figures he has pretty good reason. So he’s never tried to talk a girl into skipping the condom, just this one time; he’s never even considered whether or not it would make a difference.

He’s considering it now. He’s doing seventy on the interstate, hands gripping the wheel of the loaner and blushing harder than ever and thinking about -- seriously, _ridiculously_ \-- tight heat working his cock without so much as a layer of latex between him and Will. And he didn’t think it could get any more intense than last night, when Will said _I love you_ and slid inside him for the first time and made him come twice in less than an hour.

He can’t even think of why it would make a difference to do all that minus the condom, except he _knows_ it would. There’s the fact that Puck mentioned it, yeah, and Finn’s known him long enough to know he wouldn’t have bothered if it wasn’t a big deal.

But even if it wasn’t Puck trying to give him a clue, Finn would know that there’s a difference. There’s a huge fucking difference between wanting Will and being careful because they care about each other, yeah, but they don’t know where this is going, exactly, and _knowing_ that this is it, just the two of them, for however long they can make it last.

 _Forever_ , Finn thinks, then he grips the wheel a little tighter and nearly misses his exit.

“Shit,” he mutters under his breath, thankful that the highway’s not that crowded so he doesn’t have to cut anybody off to jump two lanes and steer the car onto the off ramp at the last second. When he reaches the end of the ramp without wrecking the car or getting pulled over, Finn barks a laugh into the silence and turns right to head back to the garage.

He has no idea how long he’s supposed to wait to have that conversation with Will. He doesn’t even know how to _start_ a conversation like that, or if it’s the kind of thing that’s supposed to wait until later, when they’re already talking about the big stuff, like moving in together. So far Will’s given him a toothbrush and less than a week of great sex, but it feels like Finn’s been in love with him as long as he can remember.

It’s dumb; he knows that, because a couple months ago he blushed at just the thought of _dating_ another guy, let alone letting one do some of the stuff he’s done with Will. Now...now he still blushes when he thinks about it, but he’s half-hard too, and more than anything he wants to turn the car around and point it in the other direction, away from Burt and his job and Will’s car until he gets to Will’s place so they can do it all over again.

Instead he pulls into the parking lot outside the shop, then he pulls the loaner around back and shuts off the engine. He hangs the keys on the board behind the counter, then he heads out to the shop to find Burt still standing over the Camaro. Finn’s heart takes a nosedive at the sight, because he’s been gone for a couple hours, and if Burt’s still messing with the car, that means he must have fucked something up.

“Hey,” he says, glancing around to make sure there aren’t any customers hanging around before he stops next to Burt. “Did I screw up?”

It takes Burt a minute to look up at him, mainly because he’s got his hands wedged in what looks like a pretty tight spot and he’s using a wrench to tighten something. When he finishes he sets the wrench down and pulls a shop cloth out of his pocket, wiping his hands before he looks up at Finn.

“No, son, you didn’t. In fact, you did a hell of a good job, considering. You’ve got a real knack for this sort of thing.”

Finn knows he’s grinning like a moron, but he doesn’t even try to stifle his smile, because he figured Burt was going to tell him that Will was lucky to be alive after letting Finn mess with his car. He’s definitely not expecting to hear that he did everything right, and the pride in Burt’s voice makes his chest tighten.

“Thanks,” he says, still grinning and Burt shakes his head and lets out a laugh.

“You’re welcome. Tell Schuester I fixed the heat. At least he won’t freeze to death if he insists on driving her before spring.”

Finn nods and watches Burt shut the hood, watches the way the whole frame rattles and wonders just how much it’s going to cost to replace pretty much every part of the body.

“Listen, I was wondering if it would be okay if I picked up a couple extra shifts next semester.”

For a second Burt just looks at him, frowning a little like maybe he’s trying to figure out what Finn’s angle is. Or maybe he’s just trying to let him down gently; Finn’s not really all that much use in the actual garage yet, after all, and Burt’s already helping him out enough without paying him to do work that somebody else could do better.

He feels his face start to heat up and opens his mouth to tell Burt it’s okay, that he understands if Burt doesn’t need him. But before he gets the words out Burt’s nodding, frown replaced by a smile that makes Finn blush for a whole different reason.

“You sure you’ll have the time?”

“Yeah,” Finn answers, hands in his pockets and he’s trying not to rock on his heels like a little kid. “I mean, technically it’s my last semester, then I just have to do my student teaching.”

“I thought you were thinking about putting off graduation for awhile,” Burt says, voice neutral like it doesn’t really matter to him what Finn does, but Finn knows what it means is that Burt’s trying not to pressure him to make a decision.

“I figured I’d wait and see how the first couple weeks go. I’ve got a little while before I have to apply for graduation.”

He’s been thinking about it since he dropped his easy basketball elective and picked up Intro to Theater and an improv class. If he hates it, he can still drop both electives and apply for student teaching somewhere for next fall. It only puts him a semester behind, and if he does like the theater classes, then he figures he’s only got another year of electives ahead of him.

“If you think you can handle it,” Burt says. “Listen, if you’re gonna be around here more, I could start teaching you some of the more advanced stuff. You’ve got the knack, and it would ease up the workload on the other guys some.”

“Yeah, sure,” Finn answers, grinning again and Burt laughs and shakes his head. “Thanks, Burt.”

“Don't mention it. The keys are in the ignition, when you’re ready to take the Camaro back.”

Finn nods as Burt starts to turn away, then he remembers what Kurt said to him and calls his name. Burt stops and looks over his shoulder, and Finn takes a few steps forward and then glances over his shoulder to make sure nobody’s hanging around listening.

“Listen, about the Indians game. You’re coming with me, right?”

He can’t tell by the look on Burt’s face what he’s thinking, but Finn figures Burt thinks the only reason he’s asking is because he feels guilty. Which is only a little true, but it’s true enough to make Finn blush and want to look away.

“I told you, son, they’re your tickets,” Burt finally says. “You can take whoever you want.”

“Yeah, I know, but I want to go with you. Really,” Finn answers, his face heating up even more with every word. “Will’s awesome and all, but the Indians have always been sort of our thing, right? Besides, I think Will’s more of a Reds fan anyway.”

Burt laughs at that, and Finn’s not sure whether or not he’s buying it, but finally he nods and claps Finn on the shoulder. “Whatever you want. Now get that car out of my garage, huh? I need the bay for a Toyota with a leaky radiator.”

Finn grins at Burt’s back until he walks away, then he turns back to the Camaro and pulls the door open. It sways a little on the hinges and he holds his breath until it settles, then he slides behind the wheel and carefully swings the door closed to take the car back to Will.

~

When he gets to Will’s place there’s no answer, and Finn stamps his feet against the cold and thinks that now would be a good time to have a key. He goes back to the car and turns on the engine, sparing a second to be grateful that Burt fixed the heater before he digs out his phone and calls Will’s cell.

He doesn’t get an answer this time either, so he listens to Will’s voice on his voicemail before he hangs up without leaving a message. He has no idea where Will went or how long he’ll be gone. For all he knows he could be sitting outside Will’s place for hours, and he’s contemplating going home and waiting for Will to call when someone taps on the window.

Finn looks up to find Will smiling at him, cheeks flushed and dressed in a long-sleeved shirt and a pair of workout pants, and it dawns on Finn that he just got back from a run. He shuts off the engine and lets Will pull the door open, wincing when it creaks and swinging it closed even more carefully than last time.

“Hi,” he says as he turns to face Will. Will who’s looking at him like he can’t decide which part of Finn to kiss first. Like he doesn’t even care that they’re right out in the open where all his neighbors can see them. “I brought your car back.”

“You’re wearing my shirt,” Will says, hands gripping the front of Finn’s coat where it’s hanging open over the shirt Finn put on that morning. It’s the first time they’ve seen each other since last night, since Will blew his mind so thoroughly Finn had to fight back _tears_ , for fuck’s sake. Since Will looked at him and said ‘I love you’ and let Finn say it back, over and over until he couldn’t remember why he hadn't said it a million times already.

“Yeah, I...uh...I was trying not to wake you up,” Finn says, but Will doesn’t look like he cares much about the shirt. He tugs Finn forward, one hand on the back of his neck and just looking for a second before he leans in and brushes his lips against Finn’s. It's soft and kind of sweet and not really what Finn was expecting, considering Will’s been looking at Finn like he kind of wants to take a bite out of him.

“You could have woken me up,” Will murmurs against his mouth, and Finn laughs and shakes his head.

“Not if I wanted to get Kurt and Puck to the airport on time.”

Will’s answering laugh is warm against his mouth, his hair damp where Finn pushes his fingers through it. And it’s freezing outside, so Will has to be cold, even after a run. Which is something Finn didn’t know about him, though he probably should have, considering the shape Will’s in. Finn hasn’t stopped to think in the past few days about how Will keeps in such fantastic shape; usually he’s too busy trying not to come before Will even touches him, but now that he _does_ think about it, it makes sense.

“It’s cold,” Finn says, and right on command Will shivers against him. “Let’s get inside.”

Will nods and leads him up the stairs, fishing his key out of a pocket and glancing over his shoulder at Finn while he unlocks the door. “Were you waiting long?”

“No,” Finn answers. He follows Will into the apartment and shuts the door, locking it behind him and then sliding his coat off. “I hung out and talked to Burt for a little while before I came over. He says everything looks good. And he fixed your heater.”

“Oh,” Will says, mouth turning down in a little frown that makes his forehead wrinkle. His hand lands on the back of his neck, rubbing like he’s trying to figure out how to say whatever’s on his mind. “I thought I might just let that go for awhile. I already owe him for the timing chain and the fuel injector.”

“I told you, he put it on your tab. Just pay what you can when you can. Besides, the boyfriend discount at Hummel’s is awesome.” Finn grins when Will blushes, then he takes a couple steps forward and tugs at the front of Will’s shirt. “I didn’t know you were a runner.”

“I tend to get kind of lazy about it once it gets cold. But I figured if I’m going to keep up with you, I better get back in shape.”

“Whatever, I haven’t been running in forever.”

For a second Will just looks at him, then he laughs, and Finn’s not sure what the joke is, but Will’s arm is around his waist and pulling him closer, so he goes with it. “Well, next time you can come with me.”

He leans in to kiss Finn again, harder this time and lingering, the hand that’s not on Finn’s back coming up to cup his cheek and angle his head just so. Finn sighs into the kiss and tilts his head, lips parted and sliding his tongue along Will’s bottom lip to drag a moan out of him.

“How much time do we have before rehearsal?” Finn whispers against his mouth, and Will moans again when Finn’s hands slide under his shirt to push it up his chest.

“We’ve got time,” Will says, then he kisses Finn again, tongue pushing past his teeth and Finn’s not arguing, because Will’s the director, so it’s not like they can start without him.

Will’s sweaty, shirt clinging to him and his hair still a little damp and curling against his temples, and Finn’s not sure he should find the idea of sweaty Will as hot as he does. He pulls Will’s shirt off anyway, tosses it somewhere behind him and mouths his way down Will’s neck, teeth scraping across his shoulder and tongue sliding along the crease of his armpit and tasting the tangy salt of Will’s skin.

He hears Will take in a sharp breath, hands tightening on Finn for a second, so he does it again. And it’s good, because he likes dragging little noises out of Will, figuring out what gets him off in ways maybe Will didn’t even know about. But it’s a lot easier when they’re not standing in his living room, so Finn grips Will’s hips and pushes him backwards, down the hall to the big bed they spent last night wrecking.

Sure enough, when they get there the sheets are still tangled in the middle of the bed, the comforter half on the floor and Finn figures he should start helping Will change the sheets if he wants to be the kind of boyfriend Will deserves. But there’s no point in changing them right now, not if they’re just going to mess them up again. So Finn doesn’t offer; instead he pushes Will back onto the bed, then he drags Will’s pants and underwear down his legs in one move.

He stops long enough to get Will’s shoes and socks off, then his pants join the pile on the floor and Will’s naked and sweaty and stretched out on the bed in front of him. It’s not even the first time Finn’s seen him like this, but it’s pretty fucking amazing that he gets to _keep_ seeing it, and Finn takes a deep breath and kicks his own shoes off before he climbs over Will to kiss him again.

Will’s mouth opens under him and Finn takes the hint, pushing his tongue past Will’s teeth to chase the flavors of coffee and mint and Will. He stretches out along Will’s side, one leg over Will’s and pushing a knee between his thighs to let Will rock up against him until he’s hard and moaning against Finn’s mouth.

He mouths his way back down Will’s neck, pressing hot kisses to the underside of his chin and then the hollow between his collar bones. Finn catches a drop of sweat with his tongue, rolling the salty taste around before he keeps going, catching one of Will’s hands with his own to drag Will’s arm up over his head. Then Finn presses his nose into Will’s armpit, breathing in deep and when he hears Will laugh above him he does it again.

“God, Finn,” Will says, and when Finn looks up at him Will’s other arm is stretched up over his head too. Like he’s just offering himself to Finn, for whatever he wants to do. Like he trusts Finn completely, and that thought is almost as hot as the knowledge that Will wants him bad enough to tell his boss about them. “Terri always used to make me shower after a run before she’d so much as kiss me.”

Finn doesn’t tell Will that Terri’s an idiot. And it’s not like Finn really hates her; she was nice enough to him when he worked for her that time in junior year, even though he got the feeling at the time that she kind of wanted to get in his pants, and that’s an even weirder thought now, considering. But it turns out she’s pretty stupid, if she ever passed up the chance to do this with Will just because he smelled like...well, like _Will_ , only stronger and okay, maybe a little funky, but if she’d ever given it a chance she might have found out how hot it was.

He’s glad she never bothered, though, because if she had it might be her here right now instead of Finn, and there’s no way Finn’s dumb enough to give this up now that he’s got it. Instead of answering he opens his mouth against the tender skin right at the crease of Will’s armpit, tongue sliding across the spot before he sucks hard on Will’s skin. Will’s panting and kind of squirming under him, fingers clenched tight around Finn’s where they’re still pressed together on the mattress and rocking up hard against the knee that’s still pressed between his thighs.

It’s totally hot, making Will lose control like this, and Finn’s pretty sure he’s never going to get enough. He hears Will chanting his name, over and over like he doesn’t really know what he’s asking for, but he wants more of it. Finn laughs against Will’s skin and pulls his mouth away from Will’s armpit, kissing his way back up Will’s neck to press their lips together again.

He lets Will pull his hand out of Finn’s grip to push between them, fingers fumbling on the button at the top of Finn’s jeans until he finally gets them open. Finn lifts up just enough to let Will push them down to the top of his thighs, then Will’s hands are on his ass and pulling him close again and Finn gasps at the first slide of Will’s cock against his own.

Then Will’s hands spread his ass a little and Finn hisses at the burn left over from when Will fucked him for the first time. And he wants that again -- again and again -- but he’s not sure he can take it right now. He’s willing to find out, but when Will’s fingers slide across his opening he can’t hold back another little hiss.

He drops his forehead onto Will’s shoulder, eyes closed and trying not to tense and ruin the moment. Because he wants Will to push a finger into him, but Will’s just sort of teasing, kind of pressing against his hole without pushing inside.

“Does it hurt a lot?” Will asks, and Finn thinks about lying, but he’s pretty sure Will can already tell what the answer is.

“Not a lot,” Finn says, and that’s true, at least. “Feels kind of...weird, I guess. I want to do it again, I just don’t know if I can take it so soon.”

The whole time he’s talking he’s sort of pushing back against Will’s hand, breath hitching every time the tip of Will’s middle finger slides across his hole. He pictures what he must look like, with his legs trapped in his jeans and Will’s shirt still on, rocking back into Will’s touch even while he’s telling Will he’s pretty sure he can’t handle getting fucked again. He feels himself blushing and he’s glad Will can’t see his face, because he doesn’t really think their age difference is a big deal, but he feels a lot like a kid right now.

Then Will’s hand is gone and Finn has to bite back a moan, though he’s not even sure if it’s relief or disappointment. Strong hands land on his hips and push until he’s rolling off Will, onto his back on the mattress and then Will’s climbing off the bed and sliding Finn’s jeans off. His boxers go with them, then his socks, until he’s left in just Will’s shirt. He starts to unbutton that too, but Will crawls back over him and reaches for his hands to stop him.

“Leave it on,” he says, then he’s leaning in and kissing Finn again, and it’s not like he’s going to argue with that.

Will’s fingers work open the rest of the buttons while Finn kisses him, then he pushes his shirt open on Finn’s chest and pulls his mouth away from Finn’s to open it against Finn’s neck. He sucks hard, making Finn moan and arch up into him, whole body taut and when he feels the burn in his ass this time it’s good. It distracts him from coming on the spot, anyway, and when Will lets up long enough to reach for the condoms, Finn’s glad for the distraction.

He watches Will tear the package open and roll a condom down Finn’s dick, bites his lip against the sensation and wonders just how long he has to wait before he brings up the subject of STD tests. He knows he’s clean and he’s pretty sure Will is too, but they’ve both hooked up with people they didn’t know all that well a time or two, and he knows better than to mess around like that.

So he doesn’t mind the tests, and he doesn’t mind waiting for results before they ditch the condoms. He’s just not sure when he’s allowed to _say_ any of that, if there’s a certain amount of time they’re supposed to date before he can start thinking of this as a relationship.

But he called Will his boyfriend right to his face just a little while ago and Will didn’t argue, so Finn figures maybe he doesn’t have to wait too long. Then there’s the fact that Will’s already said he’s in love with Finn, and in a way they’ve kind of been dating for awhile now. So maybe it’s not too early to bring it up, and once Finn’s brain starts working again he might even try.

For now he’s not thinking about much except how he’s supposed to keep himself from coming while Will’s on his knees over Finn, squeezing lube onto two fingers and then reaching behind him to push his fingers into his own ass. He closes his eyes and arches into his hand, rocking a little on the fingers inside him, like maybe he’s trying to get them deeper.

It’s seriously hot, and Finn has to reach down and close a fist around the base of his cock to keep from shooting his load while he watches Will open himself up. For _Finn_ , and he’s glad he didn’t know about any of this in high school, because if he’d wanted Will this much way back then, this whole thing would have ended a lot differently.

Then Will’s hand is on his dick again, stroking with slick fingers until Finn’s thrusting up into his grip. Will lets out a chuckle that sounds way dirtier than it should, coming from him, and pushes up onto his knees to line himself up. Endless seconds later he’s sinking down onto Finn’s cock, going so slow Finn’s pretty sure he’s going to _die_ before Will gets him all the way inside.

For a few beats neither of them moves, then Will pushes up until Finn’s almost all the way out before he sinks down again, still moving slow and it’s torture, but Finn never wants it to end. His hands are on Will’s thighs, tracing patterns in the soft hairs there and when Will bottoms out and clenches around him Finn digs his fingers into Will’s muscles.

It gets him another laugh, this one just as dirty as the last, then Will’s moving again, riding Finn just a little faster. He’s talking too, saying things like _Finn_ and _so good_ and _I love you_ , and every time he says that last one, Finn’s heart does a weird somersault in his chest. His hands leave Will’s thighs to slide up his back, and Finn lifts off the mattress, stomach shaking with the effort to hold himself up long enough to wrap his arms around Will’s back and drag him down for a kiss.

He’s snapping his hips up into each downstroke, dragging breathless grunts out of Will every time he finds the right angle to hit that spot inside of him. When he can’t hold himself up anymore he collapses back onto the mattress, hands covering Will’s where they’re pressing against his chest and just watching Will fuck himself on Finn’s dick.

Then Will leans over to kiss him again, pulling off so far that Finn slips out of him. He moans against Finn’s mouth and lets Finn push him onto his back, knees bent and when Finn kneels between his legs Will reaches above him for a pillow and lifts up to shove it under his hips.

The angle’s just right to let Finn push back inside him, hips snapping forward until he’s buried as deep as he can get. Will grunts into the thrust, then again when Finn pulls out and thrusts right back in. And it’s good -- amazing, _fantastic_ \-- but he’s read that damn book at least a dozen times now and he knows it can be better, if he just finds the right angle.

Finn slides a hand under Will’s thigh, behind his knee to push his leg up and spread him as wide as he can. Then he angles his hips a little and pushes forward again, biting his lip in concentration as he searches for the spot that makes Will moan and clench hard around him. He thrusts forward, then adjusts his hips a little and does it again, over and over until finally he hits the spot that makes Will gasp and come up off the mattress a little, muscles tight around Finn to hold him in place.

Then Will laughs, the sound sort of shaky as he relaxes around Finn and lets him pull out to do it again. Finn hits the spot over and over, dragging more and more erratic noises out of Will, and when he ducks under Will’s knee to hook it over his shoulder and wraps his free hand around Will’s cock, Will moans and arches up into him and comes in his hand.

Finn rides out the wave of Will’s orgasm, dick buried as deep as he can get to feel Will pulsing around him. When he finally relaxes Finn starts moving again, still hitting that spot and making Will moan under him, reaching out blindly to grip Finn’s hand where it’s braced on the mattress.

He bottoms out inside Will again, then one more time before he grunts and lets go, filling the condom and Finn wonders for a second how much different it’ll feel when Will comes inside him without a condom between them.

Just the thought makes him want to start all over again, to let Will fuck him this time no matter how much it hurts, but they’re running out of time and now they both need a shower, so instead Finn eases out of Will and lets his leg slide off his shoulder, then he drops down onto the mattress to lie on his back and pant for breath.

He turns his head to watch Will stretch out next to him, eyes closed and chest flushed and his mouth curving into a smile.

“What?” Finn asks, pushing up on one elbow to look down at him, and when Will’s eyes open his heart skips a beat.

“I was just thinking that if I’m going to keep up with you, it’s going to take more than a few extra runs a week.”

~

It’s the first time they show up at rehearsal together. Not that they really have a choice; Finn’s truck is back at the house, so unless Will wants to drive him all the way home and then double back to the theater, they kind of have to show up together. But Will doesn’t seem to mind; in fact, he looks kind of happy about having Finn riding shotgun, so Finn doesn’t point out that somebody might actually see Finn get _out_ of his car once they get there.

“We need to replace that door first thing,” he says instead, eyeing the driver’s side door when Will slams it shut. “If you’re free next weekend we could hit a couple of the junk yards around town, see if there are any decent parts we can salvage.”

Will’s just grinning at him, one hand on the stick shift as he backs out of his spot.

“What?”

You’re sexy when you talk auto repair,” Will answers, grin turning up a notch when Finn blushes.

“It won’t be so funny when you open your door and it falls right off the hinges,” Finn says, but he doesn’t quite manage to stifle his own grin. “And the show opens the weekend after that, so if we don’t go next weekend we won’t have time for awhile.”

“So we’ll go next weekend.” Will reaches for his hand where it’s resting on the console, fingers curling around Finn’s and squeezing for a second before he lets go again.

That’s the end of the conversation until Will pulls into the theater parking lot, sliding into a spot near the stage door and cutting the engine before he turns to look at Finn. And Finn’s not really sure what he’s expecting -- a serious look and a speech about how they have to pretend nothing’s changed between them during rehearsal, just so the rest of the cast won’t think he’s playing favorites, maybe. He’s definitely not expecting Will to lean across the console and grip the front of Finn’s shirt -- his own this time -- to pull him into a kiss.

He’s not expecting it, but he’s not complaining either, and Finn pushes a hand through Will’s hair and kisses him back. Then Will pulls back to look at him, smiling at Finn up close and Finn feels his heart pick up speed.

“It really is sexy when you talk auto repair.”

“Yeah, well, if I’d known you were that easy I would have given you a complimentary lube job a long time ago.”

Will laughs when Finn grins at him, then he presses another firm kiss against Finn’s lips before he swings the driver’s side door open. It sways on its hinges and Finn winces, turning away to push his own door open so he doesn’t have to watch Will slam it shut again.

“Since you did such a great job on my engine, I guess that means I can sell my Civic,” Will says, falling into step next to Finn as they cross the parking lot to the stage door. “Then maybe I can afford to pay Burt.”

“You sure you want to do that?” Finn asks while he waits for Will to unlock the door to the theater. “I mean, that door really is pretty sketchy. And what about when it snows? You can’t drive a sports car in bad weather.”

“It’s not like the Honda’s so much better in the snow,” Will says, and when Finn frowns at him he laughs. “Finn, come on, what’s going to happen? It’s not like I’m planning a road trip or anything.”

“What about _Into the Woods_? There’s a decent chance there’s going to be snow on the ground in February, and we’re not driving all the way to Cincinnati in that thing if the roads are bad.”

Will shrugs, but his smile falters a little, and Finn can tell he hasn’t thought about that. “So we’ll take your truck if the weather’s bad.”

Finn follows him into the theater, watching Will switch lights on as they make their way across the backstage area to the main part of the theater. Before Will can step onto the stage Finn reaches out and grips Will’s shoulder, easing Will around to face him.

“Seriously, Will. Just promise me you won’t drive it in the snow. Sell the Honda if you want, but if it’s snowing I’ll come get you and give you a ride to work. Okay?”

He can tell Will wants to argue, maybe tell Finn he’s being paranoid and kind of a chick besides. But that doesn’t change the fact that Will’s car isn’t all that safe to begin with, and in the snow he’s just asking for trouble. Finally Will lets out a sigh, then he gives Finn a little smile and a nod.

“Fine, I promise,” he says, and when Finn grins Will shakes his head. “But you’re probably going to regret that after the first time you have to drive all the way across town to drive me to work at 7:00 in the morning.”

Finn thinks it’ll be a lot easier if they’re living together, but he figures he’ll wait awhile before he says it out loud.

~

He tries not to act like anything’s different during rehearsal, which means he mostly spends the entire time staring at Will and grinning like an idiot. But Will’s doing a lot of smiling too, most of it in Finn’s direction, and if Will doesn’t care who knows then Finn’s not going to worry about it either.

Once everybody shows up they take it from the top, which means Finn spends a lot of the first half of rehearsal hanging around near the stage and filling in the chorus every time there’s a big group scene. Every time Marnie’s not on stage she sits down next to him in the audience, talking his ear off about their scenes and it’s her first real part, so he gets that she’s nervous.

It’s hard to listen to her and pay attention to Will too, so when she asks him to run some lines with her, just to be sure she’s got it down, he doesn’t say no. Telling her he can’t run lines because he has to sit in the audience and watch Will moving around the stage doesn’t seem like much of an excuse, even if it’s the truth, so instead he shrugs and follows her backstage to a quiet spot where they can practice.

“Thanks for doing this,” she says when they find a spot, smiling at him over the top of her script and if she still needs her lines in front of her to rehearse then they _are_ in trouble.

“It’s no problem. I mean, we’re all sort of a team, right?”

She gives him a look that’s sort of weird, but before he can decide what it means she’s putting her script down and standing in front of him, and it dawns on him that what she wants to rehearse isn’t their song or the proposal, but the dance scene. It’s not his favorite -- and seriously, how does he _always_ end up with a dance routine? -- but they’re going to have to do it during the actual show, so it probably won’t hurt to practice a little more.

It’s obvious after just a couple minutes that Marnie knows all her lines cold, so Finn’s not sure why she needed him to run through the scene, but he doesn’t ask. They’re almost to the part where he has to grab her and dance her around the stage when he hears someone walking toward them, and Finn looks over in time to see Angela frowning at them.

“Marnie, Will wants you onstage to rehearse ‘Matchmaker’,” Angela says.

Marnie nods and thanks Finn again, then she grabs her script and takes off before he has a chance to answer. He expects Angela to follow her, but when he looks over again she’s still standing there watching him. And Finn didn’t think he’d spent enough time out in the theater watching Will for anybody else in the cast to notice, but considering the way Angela’s looking at him, he’s pretty sure he’s wrong.

“She likes you, you know,” Angela says, arms folded over her chest and kind of...glaring. Which is totally unfair, because yeah, he kind of got that when she flirted with him the first time, but it’s not like he flirted back.

Instead of answering he just shrugs and glances toward the stage, wonders how lame it would be to walk away when it’s pretty obvious she’s not done saying whatever she wants to say to him.

“Look, just don’t be a dick and lead her on, okay?” Angela says, and when he looks back at her she still looks pissed, yeah, but there’s something else there too, like maybe she’s sort of tired.

“Listen, Angela,” he says, but he’s not sure what she wants to hear, exactly. _Sorry I stole Will from you_ , maybe, except it’s not even true, because according to Will, he’s been Finn’s for a long time. If Finn hadn’t done anything about it when he did then yeah, she might have had a chance, but it would have been just another one of Will's disasters, and it probably would have ended in her quitting the theater group just so she didn’t have to see Will looking apologetic and totally in love with somebody else.

“I’m not an idiot, you know,” she says, talking over him like maybe she doesn’t even want an explanation. “And I don’t even care that you’re...well.”

She pauses, waving a hand in his direction and he gets what she’s trying to say. That she’s okay with the fact that Will’s into guys, at least in theory. That she doesn’t mind being thrown over for Finn because he’s a guy, but she still minds being thrown over.

“I know how I ended up playing Golde,” she says, then her eyes narrow again and Finn knows he shouldn’t roll his eyes, but he does it anyway.

“That’s a great part, and you’re really good at it. You’ve got way more songs than you would have had as Tzeitel.”

“Don’t expect me to thank you for talking him into casting me as a mother of five,” she snaps, and Finn has to work hard to fight back a laugh, because he has a feeling she doesn’t really see the humor in the situation just yet.

Then she proves him wrong by sort of grinning, laughing a little and looking away and Finn’s not sure if this is the moment where she scratches his eyes out or her head starts spinning around or whatever, but he doesn’t risk smiling back at her.

“How am I supposed to put ‘Golde’ on my resume? I’m 30, I have a hard enough time getting casting directors to think of me for younger roles as it is without playing someone’s mom.”

And okay, maybe he feels a little bad about that, but the truth is it never dawned on Finn that she might be trying to make it in show business. They’re in Ohio, for one thing, and even Rachel knew if she wanted a career in theater she had to move to New York before she hit 25. So instead of saying he’s sorry he just shrugs again, then he glances toward the stage where he can hear Marnie and the others singing “Matchmaker".

“I’m not stringing her along. And I’m not hiding anything, either. This thing with Will...I’ve known him a long time. It’s kind of complicated.”

Only it’s not complicated at all, when he stops to think about it. They love each other, and everything else is just background noise. Angela and Marnie and his mom and even Will’s parents -- they all matter, sure, but in the end they don’t, not really, because it’s still going to come down to him and Will.

Angela nods like she already knew that, then her smile twists into something that makes her look a lot less pretty. “I figured. He talks about you a lot."

“Yeah?” Finn doesn’t stop himself from saying, and when she rolls her eyes he chances a smile.

She shakes her head and turns away from him without answering, and Finn figures that means the conversation’s over. He waits until she walks back onto the stage before he heads for the stairs that lead down into the theater. He finds Will in the front row of seats, his clipboard on his lap and watching the girls onstage run through their lines.

Finn drops into the seat next to him and Will glances over, smiling like he’s sort of surprised to see Finn, but he’s happy all the same. Then he turns back to the stage, but his hand lands on Finn’s thigh and squeezes for a second before he pulls it away. Just like that, like Will touches him in front of people all the time. Only Finn guesses he does now, and he’s not going to make it weird by asking Will why he's not freaking out about people knowing about them.

Instead he sinks a little further into his seat and watches Angela come out onstage to deliver her lines like this is the part she’s been waiting to play all her life. It’s kind of weird to be grateful to someone who doesn’t even like him, but if she’s not going to let on to Will that she’s not that thrilled about playing Golde, Finn’s willing to live with the weirdness.

“That was great, guys,” Will says, standing up and walking toward the stage, and Finn doesn’t bother pretending not to stare while Will gives the actors onstage notes on their delivery. Mostly he watches the way Will’s hands move while he talks, the way his eyes light up when he really gets going on how he wants the scene to play out.

When Finn feels somebody watching him he glances over and catches Angela’s eye, and when she rolls her eyes at him and turns away Finn doesn’t bother to stifle a laugh. He’s still grinning when Will sits down next to him again, glancing at Finn long enough to flash a puzzled smile.

What’s so funny?”

“I’ll tell you later,” he says, and he doesn’t lean in and kiss Will, but he has a feeling Will wouldn’t even mind.

~

He doesn’t get to spend the entire rehearsal sitting next to Will watching him direct. Finn spends a decent amount of time onstage, partly doing the big group numbers, but he and Marnie run through their scenes as well.

When they get to Perchik’s song Finn tries out Kurt’s suggestion, making his voice go kind of soft and holding back a little of the joy Will asked him for in the beginning. It’s not easy, especially when he remembers what happened before rehearsal -- first in Will’s bed and then in the shower -- but he thinks he pulls it off.

He doesn’t let himself look at Will until he’s done singing, mostly because he’s afraid if Will hates it he’ll be able to tell. But once the music ends he forces himself to look over, and when he finds Will looking at him with a mixture of pride and...surprise, maybe, Finn hopes that means Will liked it.

If he does, he doesn’t say; instead he clears his throat and says, “good job, guys,” then “let’s move on to the dream sequence” and turns away from the stage. Which means Finn has to wait until after rehearsal, once the last of the stragglers leaves and it’s just him and Will left, shutting off lights and putting away props before they head out of the theater.

Once they’re back in Will’s car he turns to look at Finn, that same look on his face that he was wearing right when Finn finished singing. “What made you decide to do the song that way?”

“It was Kurt’s idea,” Finn answers, and he feels himself blushing under Will’s stare. “He just thought I should try it this way, something about the way my voice goes all vulnerable or whatever when it’s soft. If you don’t like it I can just do it the way you said, it’s not...”

“Finn,” Will says, talking over him and Finn’s grateful, because he can hear himself babbling but he can’t make himself stop. “I liked it. It was really good.”

Then Will grins, shaking his head like he can’t believe Finn thought he might _not_ like it. “I know I’ve said it before, but you’re really amazing at this.”

“It was Kurt’s idea,” Finn says again, shrugging because seriously, it’s not like he deserves any of the credit here. But he’s not going to complain about the way Will’s looking at him, either, and he’s pretty sure Kurt doesn’t deserve all the credit for that.

“Are you hungry?” Will asks, and Finn laughs and doesn’t say that the answer to that question is pretty much always yes too, because Will knows him at least that well.

“We did skip lunch,” he says instead, grinning when Will blushes.

“I’ll take that as a yes.” Will grins back at him and turns on the engine, then he backs the car out of the lot and turns onto the road. When he points it in the opposite direction from his place Finn looks over at him.

“Where are we going?”

“I thought we’d go out for once,” Will says, glancing over at him like maybe he’s expecting an argument or something. But if he’s trying to prove something about how serious he is, Finn’s totally fine with letting him prove it, so he just nods and keeps his mouth shut.

He’s sort of expecting Breadstix, so when they pull up in front of another restaurant Finn recognizes, he doesn’t quite manage to stifle a laugh.

“What?” Will asks, frowning at him and Finn shakes his head and does his best to kill his smile.

“Nothing. It’s just...you’ve brought me here before.”

“I have? When?” Will asks, frowning even harder now, like he really can’t remember.

“Sophomore year, the day I told you Quinn was pregnant and you let me cry all over you. Puck calls it our first date.” As soon as he says it Finn wishes he hadn’t, especially when Will’s eyes go wide. “I mean, I know it wasn’t a date or anything. You were just being awesome. But it meant a lot to me, you know? I never forgot that.”

For a minute Will just looks at him, then he reaches over and kind of curves his hand around Finn’s jaw. “We can go somewhere else if you want.”

“No way,” Finn says, then he reaches up and covers Will’s hand with his own before he leans in and presses a soft kiss to the corner of Will’s mouth. “I like this place. They’ve got those tiny pickles on the salad bar and everything.”

He lets himself out of the car before Will can answer, wincing when he hears the driver’s side door slam shut behind him. And yeah, they’re really going to have to replace that door before long, Finn thinks, but when Will catches up with him Finn just grins at him and lets Will slide an arm around his shoulders to lead him inside.

~

They’re halfway through dinner when Finn looks over at Will, watching him stab at a wayward olive from his pasta salad for a few seconds before he finally asks the question he’s been wondering about for weeks now.

“How many times did you go out with Angela?”

Will looks up at the sound of his voice, and the olive makes a break for it, right off the edge of his plate and onto the table. “What?”

“You and Angela. You were kind of going out with her, before us. Weren’t you?"

Will frowns, then he shakes his head and gives Finn that look he used to use in school when Rachel started in on why nobody else should be allowed to have a solo ever. “No, we weren’t. It was headed in that direction, I suppose, or at least I got the impression that she wanted it to be. But only because I didn't think...what brought this on?”

Will’s blushing, which would be kind of cute if Finn didn't already know that what he means is that he _would_ have dated Angela. He would have gone out with her instead of risking telling Finn how he feels and finding out Finn didn’t feel the same. It makes Finn feel like kind of a dick, way more than when Angela cornered him about Marnie, mostly because it took him so long to figure out how he feels about Will.

“She kind of ambushed me backstage at rehearsal,” Finn says, shaking his head when Will opens his mouth to interrupt. “It wasn’t that big a deal. I mean, she didn’t try to scratch my eyes out or anything. Mostly she was pretty cool about it.”

“To be honest I didn’t think she cared that much,” Will says, eyes kind of wide like he’s surprised to find out somebody would be willing to fight for him. “I sort of figured she just wanted me to give her a good part.”

Finn grins at him then, and when Will laughs his heart skips a beat. “Guess everybody got what they wanted, then.”

“Not Marnie,” Will says, and this time it’s Finn’s mouth that drops open. "I think she’s got a crush on you. Not that I can blame her.”

He feels his face heat up and he knows Will’s laughing at him, but there’s no point in denying it, so Finn just shrugs. “She’ll get over it. I mean, if Angela hasn’t told her about us already, she will. Are you sure you’re okay with that?”

Will’s cheeks flush a little, but he shrugs right back at Finn and doesn’t look away. “I love you, Finn. That’s not the kind of thing I’ve ever been all that good at hiding.”

Finn opens his mouth to say that Will hid it from him for long enough. Only Will didn’t hide it, not really; the signs were there, at least according to Quinn and Puck and now Angela, even. Finn just didn’t see them for a long time, but now that he has it’s hard to believe he missed it for so long.

“What do you think about moving in together?” he says, and he doesn’t even know he’s thinking about saying it until the words are out of his mouth, but once they are he doesn’t want to take them back. “Not right away or anything. I mean, I know we haven’t been together all that long, but I know I want to be with you whenever I can, and it would probably be easier on my mom if she didn’t have to wonder where I was all the time.”

He’s not surprised when Will doesn’t answer right away. It’s kind of a big deal, after all, and Finn’s pretty sure Will hasn’t lived with anybody since Terri. Hell, Finn’s never lived with anybody at all, and maybe once Will actually says yes he’ll start freaking out about what it means. But right now Will’s still just staring at him, and Finn figures it’s okay to freak out about that for now and save the big freakout for later.

“You really want to move in with me? What about spending time with Burt?”

“I picked up a couple extra shifts at the garage,” Finn answers, and when he realizes Will’s not going to say no his stomach does a weird little flip-flop. “Besides, I mean, he’s my stepdad and I love him and all, but I’d rather spend time with you.”

It’s the truth, so he’s not sure why it makes Will blush so hard. It’s kind of a good look for him, though, so Finn just grins and pushes his empty plate away so he can reach across the table and close his hand around Will’s.

“That’s not a no, right?”

Will shakes his head, then his fingers curl around Finn’s and squeeze. “Definitely not a no.”


End file.
